


Friends

by OrionRedde, Shyrstyne



Series: Cometverse [45]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Multi, isa still working on the whole feelings thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-05-07 13:38:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19210543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrionRedde/pseuds/OrionRedde, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shyrstyne/pseuds/Shyrstyne
Summary: Isa finally gets a hobby and makes some friends of his own. If only his heart would stop thinking about Lea 24/7





	Friends

**Author's Note:**

> Nora and Julie, like Adira, are borrowed from an original comic me and orionredde are also doing. though unlike Adira who was aged up significantly for her role here, Nora and Julie were aged down a bit. Think early twenties. 
> 
> Anyway, Isa needed some friends. And a hobby.

Isa doesn’t have a lot to do with his time these days.

On the one hand, it’s a stark difference from his times in the organization, which had often been nothing but planning and paperwork from day start to day end.. and often then some.

On the other hand, it leaves him too much time to think, leaves him feeling lost and idle. He misses the communal gardens back home on days like these, though he doesn’t much like thinking about Radiant Garden much in general. He’d seen it at a distance once or twice, as Saïx, the crumbling ruin built over with the trembling attempts at reconstruction. He has no interest in seeing what became of the rest of his childhood home.

But he misses the gardens. The peaceful tranquility of working with his hands, planning out the next rotations of flowers and vegetables, pulling weeds with satisfaction.

Nowadays he just walks. He rarely takes the same route twice, trying his best to keep his mind and body occupied, but lately it just hasn’t felt like enough. He feels like an intruder on Comet and Lea’s family sometimes, but he has so little to do outside his time with them.

So he walks. Sometimes through other worlds if he can find a ride, but mostly just through Twilight Town.

He’s walking past the outdoor area of the bistro when he overhears raised voices, and with nothing else to do, he pauses.

“Nora no, we can’t put the banners there they’ll _catch fire._ ”

“Well what do you suggest? There’s nowhere else to put them!” The other retorts.

“Maybe if we moved the activities booth over-?”

“No one will see it there we’ve been over this.”

They both seem frustrated. Isa catches a glimpse of the map laid out between the two of them, covered in pen marks and adjustments, and immediately sees the problem.

And how to fix it.

He gives a small cough, catching their attention. He can’t help a small flush when their attention turns to him. What had come over him to do this again?

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear, but perhaps I could help? I have some experience in.. organization and planning.”

“Any help would be appreciated at this point. The festival is in less than two months and we’re still stuck on layout. I’m Nora by the way.” The shorter one reaches out a hand. “This is my wife, Julie.”

“A pleasure.” He returns, taking the hand. “My name is Isa. May I?” He gestures to their map, which they push toward him gratefully.

He can see what they mean by it being a mess, and his initial judgement of it being an easy fix is amended quickly, but after puzzling it over a few more moments he thinks he might have an idea.

“Here, how about this, you do move the, activity booth is it? Move it over, switching it with this booth here, it’s smaller but people will still be able to see both. Switch these two over here, and that leaves room there for something else, I’m assuming you want these banners near the entrance?” They nod. “How big are they?”

The two give him the dimensions and before long all three of them are knee deep in planning, adjusting layouts, putting together lists and supplies and contacts. Before Isa knows it the sun is deep in its long twilight and the bistro is making last call.

“Stars Isa, I’m so glad you stopped by, you’ve been an immense help.” Julie says gratefully. “Nora and I kind of got dumped into planning the Starry Night Festival by accident and we’ve been floundering ever since.”

“How did you end up doing this by accident?” He asks. Nora looks mildly uncomfortable but answers anyway.

“We’ve helped with the festival before, but never in an official level like this. It turned out the previous runners were using it to commit fraud and went to jail a few months back. Maybe you heard about that? And as the most experienced people on hand Julie and I got roped into taking over.”

“Sounds stressful.” He murmurs, remembering the sheer amount of paperwork involved in dealing with just fourteen people, let alone an entire town.

“Very.” Nora says with a sigh. Julie chews on her lip in consideration.

“Would you…” She pauses. “And you don’t have to I’m sure you have other things to do, but would you mind signing on with us? It’s non-profit, but we’d try to compensate you for your time at least.”

He doesn’t have anything to do at all. He’s not interested in the money.

“I would love to, actually.” He says quietly. “I’ve.. been needing a hobby of late.”

“Oh thank you so much.” Nora sags in her seat. “Even just having an extra set of hands will make a huge difference. We really appreciate this.”

“My pleasure.” He returns. The two ladies beam at him, and they exchange contact information before leaving.

He throws himself into the planning, the challenge being just what he needed after the extended period of stagnation. He still goes to the bar, to see Comet and Vanitas. Roxas and Xion if they’re there. Lea..

He didn’t mean to avoid Lea at first. It started out as coincidence, a mismatch of schedules that went on for uncommonly long, but as time went on and his feelings not only did not abate but instead grew more intense.. he knew he had to take a step back. When even Comet had asked him if something was wrong, he knew he was letting his heart cloud his judgement once more. He couldn’t allow that to happen. Despite everything, he likes Comet. He doesn’t want jealousy to ruin his life again.

So he makes the effort to spend more time with Comet, learn about them.

And he stays away from Lea.

Not always, he tries to spend at least some time with his oldest friend, but as his feelings reach a fever pitch it becomes more and more difficult.

So he turns his focus into event planning, and in honesty he enjoys it immensely. Nora and Julie are calm and level headed even when it seems like everything is about to fall apart, as evidenced when several sets of supplies are ruined by a group of truant teenagers. They’re also competent and highly intelligent, and even when topics stray outside the event he finds he enjoys talking with them.

Lea tries to catch his arm one day, on his way to meet Nora and Julie. Just a light brush, knowing better than to grab. The touch, bare as it was, tingles through the fabric and into Isa’s skin tantalizingly.

“Hey, can we talk?” He asks. Isa feels his heart lurch.

‘ _It’s not what you want.’_ He tells himself viciously. _‘It will never be what you want.’_

“Perhaps later?” He says, and it’s not even a lie. He’d promised Nora to pick up replacement boards today. “I’m afraid I’m rather busy.”

“.. yeah. Sure, let me know.” He turns away, missing the expression on Lea’s face as he does.

If he had looked back, he might have seen the fear and hurt in his eyes.

But he doesn’t.

He continues to help with the event, but his work slows down, and Nora and Julie notice. He’s slowly coming to a realization.

_‘I need to either tell him, or get over it. I can’t continue on like this.’_

The very thought hurts, but this endless pining … it’s not good. Not for him. Not for Lea. He can’t let it break their friendship again.

He’s absently ticking away parts of a list while Nora reorganizes and Julie sits painting one of the banners. Julie gives Nora a glance, and she reads it like a book, giving a a hum and a shrug in return.

Nora stands, and then moves over to where Isa stands, no longer really looking at the list.

“You look troubled.” The short woman says. “Are you alright?”

“Perfectly well, thank you.” Isa says, startled. “I was merely.. thinking.”

“About what, if you don’t mind us asking?” Julie asks. Isa looks away, embarrassed, but..

“It’s.. personal.”

“We’re all ears if you’re willing.” Julie says kindly, still brushing paint over the fabric. Nora nods encouragingly.

“It’s obviously bothering you. Maybe we can help.”

“I doubt that.” He says. Nora shrugs.

“Maybe not, but can it hurt to try?” She asks. And he has to admit she has a point.

“I- I have a friend I’ve been in love with for some time,” he says quietly, hesitantly, “but he is already in a relationship and.. well I’ve been trying to come to terms with that recently.”

Julie makes a sympathetic noise and Nora nods.

“Ah, that is rough. Why don’t you tell us about him. Maybe it will help.”

He doesn’t think it will, but he tells them anyway. He isn’t one for talking much, but something inside him glows warmly to speak bout Lea, about their friendship. He glosses over the whole nobody thing, but doesn’t skim how their relationship had suffered during that time. It was an important part of their history, for all it was painful.

Nora and Julie just exchange a glance, one he can’t decipher but apparently they can.

“I think this boy is almost definitely in love with you, dear.” Nora says at last. Julie nods. Isa is taken aback.

“He can’t- he’s with someone and I refuse to be that kind of person again. I won’t.”

“Oh, oh no dear that’s not what she was suggesting.” Julie raises her hands, gently calming. “Even by your description he loves this other person very much too.”

“What _are_ you suggesting then?” He runs a hand over his temple, suddenly tired.

“Are there no triads where you’re from, darling?” Julie asks.

”They wouldn’t want me. I am not exactly.. relationship material.” He mutters. Julie makes a sound that says she doesn’t believe that one bit.

Nora opens her mouth, but then pauses.

“Where did you say they worked, your boys datemate?”

“A bar. The Falling Star.” He answers, suspicious. Nora grins.

“Thank you. Oh my, it’s getting late, I should head home and start dinner. Julie, Isa, do you mind cleaning up for me?”

Julie smiles and nods. Isa looks after her retreating back with narrowed eyes.

“What is she going to do?” He asks. Julie just smiles, laying the banner out to dry.

“Just some recon.” She answers simply. Isa frowns.

“She doesn’t- there isn’t anything to be done, she shouldn’t waste her energy.” He frowns. Julie frowns back, coming to stand in front of him.

“Now I think you should let us be the judge of that, don’t you? After all, we’re friends aren’t we? We just want to try and help.”

Isa looks down and away.

“There isn’t anything to be done.” He says again. Julie reaches up to pat his cheek.

“Maybe not. I don’t want to get your hopes up too high after all. But let us try anyway, okay? Consider it a favour to us.”

Isa doesn’t know what to say to that, so he just nods, and they finish cleaning in a comfortable silence.

He won’t get his hopes up, but it’s nice they’re willing to try for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Isa is the Lets Go Lesbians friend


End file.
